Summer burglary arrest made

DUI stop reportedly leads to SSWSC break-in confession

A routine traffic stop Thursday morning lead to an arrest connected to a Sept. 19 burglary of more than $4,000 in equipment from the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club.

Richard Allen Darsow, 20, of Steamboat Springs, was stopped by police just before 4 a.m. Thursday on Conestoga Circle on suspicion of drunken driving. Steamboat Springs police officers arrested him on suspicion of driving under the influence, DUI per se and minor in possession of alcohol, said Public Safety Services Director J.D. Hays.

In the process of taking inventory of Darsow's vehicle after the arrest, officers found two cordless power drills with the initials "SSWSC" on them, Hays said.

Officers questioned Darsow about the power tools found in his vehicle, Hays said.

On Sept. 19, someone broke into the Winter Sports Club's summer storage area at Howelsen Hill through a window and stole $4,420 worth of equipment, including two power drills matching the description of the drills found in Darsow's car. Also stolen during the break-in were two Cannon digital video cameras, three Sony video cameras, six spare video-camera batteries and two other cordless drills.

On Thursday, Darsow confessed to the break-in, Hays said, and returned all the missing equipment.

In addition to the DUI, DUI per se and minor in possession charges related to the traffic stop, Darsow was charged with second-degree burglary and theft.

As of Thursday afternoon, he was being held in the Routt County Jail on $5,000 bond for the burglary and theft charges and $750 bond for the misdemeanor DUI charges.

Winter Sports Club Executive Director Rick DeVos welcomed the news that the equipment had been recovered. The drills are used by coaches to install race gates on the slopes, and the cameras are used to film racers for video critiques. Both types of equipment are necessities for race training, and the organization can ill afford to replace them, DeVos said.

The break-in was the second crime committed against the organization this year. In April, vandals broke 22 Winter Sports Club van windows and broke mirrors inside its training center, doing more than $11,000 damage. The Winter Sports Club is now offering a cash reward for anyone with information about the vandals, DeVos said.